Hitherto, the essential parameters for the recording of the z-stack have been determined by the user of the microscope. If a plurality of samples of the same kind are to be recorded in the context of an experiment, then, usually, in addition to the determination of the parameters, before commencement of the experiment, at least some parameters are reset manually before the current series of recordings. The essential parameters for the recording of the z-stack include the number of z-planes in which an image is recorded, the spacing of the individual z-planes, and the range in which the z-stack is recorded.
When the range has been defined, it then only remains necessary to define the number of z-planes or the spacing of the z-planes. The respective other parameter is then obtained taking the defined z-range into account.
The actual definition of the range in which the z-stack is to be recorded is difficult, even for experienced microscopy users, since the definition is subject to subjective impressions and, in particular, is dependent on the actual representation on the corresponding monitor screen.
Thus, for example, it is not possible to quantify by eye intensities of the object in z-planes and to subsequently reproduce this again with precision. Moreover, the step of definition is generally very time-consuming, which generally also involves an undesirably high load on the sample, since the manual setting of the upper and lower limit of the z-range can only be achieved slowly.
In addition, manual setting always involves the difficulty of large variations between the recording of a z-stack of a first sample and the recording of a z-stack of a second sample in the context of an experiment, since, instead of an objective criterion, it is only the user's optical impression of the respective sample that determines the range in which the z-stack is recorded.